The Isaac Newton Telescope (INT) has a 2.54-m diameter primary mirror with
a focal ratio of f/2.94. It uses a polar-disc/fork type of equatorial
mount, as illustrated in Figure . The corrected f/3.29 prime and f/15
Cassegrain foci have been commissioned. Both foci are equipped with
instrument rotators and with autoguiders. In addition, the Cassegrain
acquisition and guidance (A&G) box contains an integrating TV camera for
field viewing. A second camera is attached to the wide-field finder
telescope. This is used for locating guide stars for the autoguider
as an alternative to the Guide-Star Server (GSS) and,
to a limited extent, for field verification.
The INT is normally operated by a night assistant.
Fuller details are given in the INT User Manual
( ING La Palma Manual No XX).
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Figure: Schematic views of the INT from the east and north.